


The Beast of Ikebukuro

by Serafae



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Attempted Kidnapping, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 14:24:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17747531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serafae/pseuds/Serafae
Summary: Being new to Ikebukuro, you're beyond grateful when a local offers you assistance in navigating the intimidating city. Unfortunately, you're about to learn the city may not be as safe or idyllic as you once thought— at least there's always someone willing to come to the rescue.





	The Beast of Ikebukuro

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually a re-write of a drabble I originally wrote back in 2012-2013 that I found while poking through my old stories on another site. I wrote this partly to see how much my writing has improved over the years, partly for shits and giggles. If you're curious, you can read the original [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BQWhQlVKSnSMEaHQr8poR2CVPAPTkxjYRKLk6akClKI/edit?usp=sharing).
> 
>  **Warnings:** Attempted Kidnapping, Canon-Typical Violence, Tense Shifting

With a cigarette pressed to his lips, Shizuo watches as Celty drives by. Despite the speed with which her motorcycle carries her, the blond is able to nod to her as she passes; a gesture which is returned by the Dullahan. The end of his cigarette lights up as he inhales, a dull light among the many neon signs and illuminated buildings that lined the streets of Ikebukuro. Though groups of people passed him as they explored the city, no one but Celty bothered to offer him a greeting. Instead they would whisper a warning to one another as they avoided meeting his gaze, sometimes even going so far as to cross the street and walk along the opposite sidewalk.

Shizuo is used to this behavior; he knows the people of Ikebukuro think of him as some kind of monster. He closes his eyes and leans his head against the rough brick exterior of the building, taking the cigarette between his index and middle finger as he parts his lips and releases a cloud of smoke into the night air.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, you stand beneath a street light with a map in hand. Having just arrived in Ikebukuro, you've found yourself lost in the sprawling city and wanting to just find your new apartment and get some well-deserved rest. Your gaze flickers from the map to your surroundings, attempting to find a monument or notable building you could use to figure out your location. It’s as you’re glancing up from the map that you notice a middle-aged man in business attire approach, and you offer a small smile, "Excuse me, sir? Could you—" The man's eyes widen for half a second before he ducks his head, walking just a little bit faster, and the corners of your lips turn downward in response. "No? Okay, thanks anyway!" You called politely after the man in Japanese. Despite the way your heart sank at being blatantly ignored, you try to come up with excuses for him: He didn't hear me, maybe he doesn't speak English, he's running late for an important meeting... at half past nine at night.

Your eyes begin to sting as you feel the frustration you had tried to squash building up, and you squeeze them shut in an attempt to stop the tears that threatened to spill. After asking half a dozen passersby for help, only one person had actually stopped to help you. Unfortunately, he didn’t speak a lick of English and your limited knowledge of the Japanese language could only get you so far.

“Excuse me, ma’am?” A voice calls to you in English, and you open your eyes to look at the stranger addressing you with what you could only assume was a look of shocked relief. A dark haired young man who couldn’t be much older than yourself stands before you, offering you a gentle smile. “You looked lost,” he says in a deep, rich voice that feels far too comforting after being coolly ignored for the past twenty minutes. “Did you need help?”

“Yes, please!” You nearly cry out in exasperated joy. “I’m looking for an apartment complex, but I’ve only just moved here and I’m not the best at reading Japanese,” you admit shyly.

The man seems friendly enough and more than willing to help, so you present him with the apartment complex’s address and he flashes you a dazzling smile. “I know exactly where that is,” he tells you. “I could take you there, if you’d like.”

“Really? That’d be great!” You breathe a sigh of relief as you fold the map back up into a little square and slip it into your purse. “Thank you so much!”

“It’s not a problem,” the man says with a wave of his hand. “I was actually headed that way myself,” he tells you. “My friends are waiting for me at a karaoke bar that’s only a couple blocks past the complex.”

You smile at the man, making light conversation with him as you take in your surroundings. You notice a couple interesting characters along your short journey, such as a group of men wearing yellow scarves, a motorcyclist in a yellow, cat-shaped helmet, and a bleach blond bartender smoking outside of an out of business bakery.

“Did you come to Japan all by yourself?” The man asks, glancing towards you with warm brown eyes. You nod and he hums, “That must be scary, being alone in a foreign country.”

“Not really,” you reply as you make a sharp right turn down a narrow alleyway. “We moved around a lot when I was little and—” You cut yourself off as you’re suddenly aware of your surroundings. You’re standing about a quarter of the way into the dark alley, the nearest street lamp barely lit and flickering uselessly anyway. “Where are you taking me?” You ask hesitantly.

“To the apartments,” the man answers simply. “This is a shortcut.”

“I don’t mind going the long way,” you speak carefully as you slowly inch back towards the main street.

The man sighs, “You had to make this difficult.”

Suddenly two more men emerge from a van that had been parked further into the alleyway, it’s lights turned off to remain hidden among the shadows. You try to turn and run, but the man that had led you to this trap gripped your wrist and wrenched you back into the darkness.

Pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning on, Shizuo dropped the remainder of his cigarette to the ground and stomped out the still-burning embers with the toe of his shoe. He figured he had spent enough time wandering around the city and may as well head home for the night; lord knew he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.

“Help!” A feminine voice cries out and chestnut brown eyes turn to search for the source. “Help!” The voice cries again— louder this time— and the blond muttered a curse under his breath before taking off sprinting in the direction of the screams.

“Let go of me!” You shout as you twist in the men’s grasp, wildly swinging your limbs in the hopes of landing a blow on a least one of your assailants. The one who had led you to the alley cursed as he struggled to keep a hold on your arms. He shouts to one of the others to ‘hurry up and knock her out’ and the shortest seems to scurry away to the van, only to return a moment later with a cloth in his hand.

The stench of chemicals grew stronger the closer he got, but before the man could press the chloroform-soaked cloth to your mouth he’s being knocked to the ground by a flying garbage can.

“Oh shit!” The tallest of the group, a lanky and unshaven man who appeared to be younger than yourself, cried out in what seemed to be the same amount of sheer terror you were currently feeling. “It’s Shizuo Heiwajima!” He lets go of your legs as he attempts to run, but the blond man was quick to swing a sign at him.

“Looks like it’s your lucky day,” The man who had lured you to this trap growls as he releases his grip on your arms, running to the van and practically climbing into the driver’s seat.

Now sitting against the wall, you watch in horrified shock as the blond— Shizuo Heiwajima, according to that thug— begins wailing on the tall man. The lights of the van flash, bright and blinding in the dark alley, and you turn away with your hands raised in front of your face. Tires squeal as the van backs out of the alley, leaving your other two assailants unconscious on the dirty ground.

The blond stands in front of you, offering you a hand though his face is turned away from you. Your gaze travels from his knuckles, red and raw, to the stern expression he wore before you cautiously place your hand in his larger one. He pulls you to your feet with ease and immediately lets go of your hand once you’re standing.

“Thank you,” You say in English before repeatedly thanking him in Japanese for good measure. “You saved my life!” You stand on the tips of your toes and place a shaky hand upon his broad shoulder for added support as you press a soft kiss against the man’s cool cheek. “Thank you so much,” you whisper.

Shizuo does his best to ignore the way his skin is burning where you had kissed him and glares at you, though he knows the look is nowhere near as intimidating as it usually is. “What the hell were you thinking, following some stranger into an alley?! Are you really that stupid?” He growls, but when you simply offer him a sheepish smile he sighs. “Where are you headed? I… I can walk you there, I guess...”

Your eyes lit up once more as you retrieve your map from your bag, unaware of the way Shizuo’s gaze softens as he tenderly presses a hand against his cheek.

Maybe he’s not the monster everyone thinks he is…


End file.
